Energizer's Supply Chain Keeps Going, and Going...

Orlando, FL — October 27, 2004 — Energizer Battery, Inc, one of the world's largest manufacturers of primary batteries and flashlights, said today it is using the GDS Accelerator, from e-business software and services provider Cactus Commerce Inc., to achieve global data synchronization (GDS) compliance with its retail customers.

Cactus announced the general market availability of Cactus GDS Accelerator for BizTalk Server 2004.

Cactus said its GDS Accelerator for BizTalk Server 2004 is designed to allow companies to connect to UCCnet and the Global Registry, as well as integrate real-time data into existing management systems.

Energizer, an early adopter of Cactus GDS Accelerator, is now using the technology in production and has achieved global data synchronization of its merchandizing items with customers such as the grocery store chain Wegmans, in accordance with required compliance mandates.

Energizer has successfully deployed Cactus GDS Accelerator for BizTalk Server 2004, said John Thompson, project manager, Energizer Holdings. As a solution that makes effective use of our existing Microsoft platform, Cactus GDS Accelerator has enabled Energizer to meet the global data synchronization compliance mandate, without having to invest in any additional software or hardware.

According to AT Kearney, a global management consulting firm, 30 percent of information provided by manufacturers to retailers is inaccurate, resulting in an estimated cost to the industry of $40 billion annually. Global data synchronization presents manufacturers and retailers with a opportunity to gain quantifiable results and is the first step toward maximizing their investments in technologies such as RFID, as well as collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment (CPFR).

We are very excited to be working with companies like Energizer to help meet their global data synchronization requirements, said Pierre Deschamps, executive vice president, Cactus Commerce. Manufacturing and retail businesses across the world are making efforts to achieve effective global data synchronization in order to prepare for a widespread move towards RFID, and to meet mandates set by large retailers such as Wal-Mart. It is Cactus' aim to help these companies achieve their synchronization goals as quickly and as cost-effectively as possible.

Cactus said its solution is also in line with Microsoft's Smarter Retailing Initiative (SRI), a solutions framework. It concentrates on one area of SRI, Smarter Operations, which is designed to offer increased efficiency by providing real-time visibility into the metrics that drive profitability. This includes tools to manage the adoption of technologies such as GDS and RFID.